You can find more comprehensive lists of Sri Lanka's rewarding travel destinations, region by region,
by just clicking on the blue title of the holiday region or on the link below the respective region's text portion
by just clicking on the blue title of the holiday region or on the link below the respective region's text portion
Cultural Triangle
Ruwanweliseya in Anuradhapura
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Vatadage in Polonnaruwa
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Tooth Temple in Kandy
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The term 'Cultural Triangle' refers to the region in between Anuradhapura in the north-west, Polonnaruwa in the north-east and Kandy in the south. These 'cornerstones' of the Cultural Triangle were the most important capitals in the pre-British history of the island, all of them being World Heritage Sites today. Dambulla and Sigiriya in the very centre of the Cultural Triangle area are World Heritage Sites, too. Administratively, the Cultural Triangle comprises the entire North Central Province and the Matale District of the Central Province. The historical name of this core region of the ancient Sinhalese culture was 'Rajarata', which translates to 'king's land'. The number of archaeological sites in the Cultural Triangle is immense. Travel guides usually list only the more famous ones of them and leave out the hidden treasures. This is why you will find a lot of attractive sites in the Cultural Triangle that are still completely undisturbed by tourism. Discover the true charm of the remnants of the ancient Sinhalese civilisation by opening our Cultural Triangle photo gallery here...
Central Highlands
St. Clair's Falls in Dimbula tea region
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Lankatilaka temple west of Kandy
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view from Adam's Peak
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Sri Lanka is not only famous for tropical beaches but also for tea-growing areas in the hillcountry. The mountain region, rising up to almost 2500 m, is situated in the southern half of the island's midlands, just south to the Cultural Triangle. Actually, the 'hill capital' Kandy in the northern part of the highlands belongs to both regions. Administratively, the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka comprise most parts of the Central Province and Badulla District in Uva Province. Sightseeing tours in the lush green tea-growing areas are highly recommendable. Furthermore, there are some nature conservation areas, perfectly well explorable on hiking and trekking tours. Due to their montane cloud forests, which form one of the biodiversity hotspots of our planet, they are declared natural World Heritage Site 'Central Highlands of Sri Lanka', consisting of the Knuckles Range to the northeast of Kandy, Peak Wilderness in the very southwest of the highlands and Horton Plains just south of the Nuwara Eliya. The number of waterfalls in Sri Lanka's highlands is far more than a hundred. Places of interest for cultural tours aren't rare. either. Major heritage sites are temples from the late medieval Gampola period and the early modern Kandy period. Find a photo gallery of the central highlands' natural and cultural destinations here...
Western Plains
Yapahuwa in Kurunegala District
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Meda Maluwa cave temple in Varana
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view from Dambadeniya rock
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Not many people know, that the hinterland of the beach resorts just to the north of Colombo - Negombo, Marawila, Chilaw, Kalpitiya - is crowded with ancient monuments, only second in number to the Cultural Triangle. The reason for the enormous density of heritage sites is that today's Kurunegala District in acient times was the area known as Dakkhinadesa, which translates to 'southern land', then governed by the crown prince. Actually, the region is the North Western Province. However, the historical name refers to the location to the south of the then capital, Anuradhapura. Not only in number but also in beauty, the attraction of the western region of Sri Lanka are worth visiting, though they are usually left out on standard round tours. But just check our photos. Yapahuwa, sometimes called 'Sri Lanka's second Sigiriya', is quite spectacular, dozens of cave temples such as Ritigala and Pilikuttuwa are very charming, some archaeological sites such as Panduvasnuwara and Dambadeniya are of importance for the nation's history. Don't miss to visit at least a few of them on your way from Colombo airport to Kandy or Sigiriya. Find a list with images and links introducing rewarding travel destinations in the Western Plains here...
Southwestern Wet Zone
Bentota Beach in Galle District
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Bopath waterfalls near Kuruwita
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Mangroves of Madu Ganga
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A picture-book view of a tropical island, with palm groves and paddy fields and rain forest jungle, is exactly what you will find in the wet zone of Sri Lanka. It actually deserve that name, as they belong to the regions with highest precipitation in Asia. But don't worry, the monsoon season is restricted to the months of July to September. Perfectly blue sky is normal in the Sri Lanka's tropical southwest from October till May. Even during the monsoon season most of the rains do not start before the late afternoon. But showers then will be heavy indeed. Sri Lanka's long-standing beach holiday destinations are situated along the southwestern coast between Colombo and Galle, mainly in Kalutara District of the Western Province, Beruwela being the largest resort. Number one adventure activity is a day trip to Kitulgala for white water river rafting. The hinterland of the southwestern beach resort is known as Sabaragamuwa. This is the region due to which Sri Lanka among ancient seafarers earned its reputation as 'gem island', which is the translation of the ancient Sanskrit term 'Ratnadvipa'. Sabaragamuwa Province is not only famous for the gem mining area of Ratnapura but also for Sri Lanka's largest tropical rain forest, Sinharaja, which except from the monsoon season is a perfect destinations for hikers. Don't miss to join a boat safari in the Maduganga wetlands, to visit the buildings and gardens of the island's most renowned family of architects and artists, the brothers Bawa, to take part in city tours to Colombo and Galle, and to see some of the waterfalls in the vicinity of the hills, when spending your holidays in the Southwestern Wet Zone with sightseeing attractions here...
Deep South
Lighthouse in Galle
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Elephant in Udawalawe National Park
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Cave temple of Mulkirigala
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The southernmost plains of Sri Lanka belong to the wet zone in the west and to the dry zone in the east and border the highlands to the north. This is the reason why the variety of climate and vegetation zones is extraordinarily high in Sri Lanka's Deep South. Not surprisingly, two of the island's most visited national parks are in the southern plains, Yala being the number one destination for leopard safaris, Udawalawe being the best place for elephant safaris, as large numbers of individuals can be obeserved here throughout the year. During the northern hemisphere summer months, when the monsoon hits the the western coastline, the beach resorts further east - around Tangalle and Hambantota and Kirinda - promise to remain perfectly sunny. This is why the southern beaches and their modern style or boutique hotels have become increasingly popular. Kataragama is the place of one of the most colourful festivals in July. In ancient times, this island's southern region was known as Rohana. It's ancient capital Tissamaharama due to its huge stupas is sometimes called 'Anuradhapura of the south', whereas the painted Buddhist caves of Mulkirigala deserve the name 'Dambulla of the south'. Those travellers that are Buddhist art enthusiasts will be eager to see the giant statues of Maligawila and the rock-cut statues of Buduruwegala. Find a gallerie of Sri Lanka's southern travel destinations here...
EasT Coast
Kudumbigala near Kumana National Park
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Pottuvil Dunes at Arugam Bay
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Vatadage of Tiriyaya
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To the north of Batticaloa, Pasikuda Beach, which is very safe for children, has become Sri Lanka's new hotspot for family holidays during the northern summer months vacation period. To the south of Pottuvil, Arugam Bay is very popular with surfers, the main Arugam surf break being quite crowded, to be honest. However, there are about a dozen surf breaks in the vicinity, for beginners as well as for intemediates or even advanced surfers, some of them are not overrun at all. In between those two major beach destinations of Sri Lanka's Eastern Province is a shore of about a hundred kilometres that is rarely visited by tourists, neither by beach holiday makers nor by heritage travellers. This is to say: Lonesome beaches can be found easily along Sri Lankas eastern shores. Gal Oya, Sri Lanka's only national park offering boat safaris - and Maduru Oya - with an amazing dry zone scenery - are still rarely visited, perfect for those who want to enjoy a safari undisturbed by other groups. There are also lots of temple festivals in the Batticaloa area that seem to be on no tourist itinerary at all, though actually being quite amazing. In particular, the Eastern Province is perfect for those who seek to explore archaeologicalt sites in utmost tranquility. Rajagala is one of those charming places, but there are many others in the hinterlands of the east coast. Find some of them in our list of Eastern Province attractions here...
Northern Province
Kandaswamy Kovil in Nallur
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Dutch Fort in Jaffna
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Kandarodai stupas near Chunnakam
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The Northern Province is Sri Lanka's only Tamil majority region. The Hindu culture of Jaffna Peninsula and the neighbouring Vanni region (northern mainland) is distinct indeed, a little bit a mix of Sri Lanka and Southern India. Reaching Jaffna requires some more driving hours for the journey than almost every other city of the island. But the north a quite different travel experience when compared to other parts of the island nation. Jaffna District is not only dry and sandy but also a truely amphibic landscape, with lots of islands and lagoons. Sometimes it's not discernable easily whether a water surface is an inland lake or an inlet of the sea. Lots of causeways crossing the shallow sea allow to travel to most of the nearby islands by car. Delft, being the farest inhabited island, can easily be reached by regular boat service. Delft Island became home to feral horses, offspring of colonial horse breeding for trade purposes in the colonial period. Another rewarding boat trip is much shorter. The tiny Nainativu Island carries both a Hindu and a Buddhist pilgrim sites, celebrating amazing festivals annually. There are several more famous Hindu temples with spectacular festivals in the area of Jaffna, attracting pilgrims not only from Sri Lanka but also from India. Find out what to see on Jaffna Peninsula and on Sri Lanka's northern islands here...
